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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182873">Tender</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Villefort/pseuds/Villefort'>Villefort</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Science Gossip: A String of Valerius/Valdemar Scenarios [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Arcana (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Complicated Relationships, Minor Injuries, Nonbinary Character, Other, Slow Burn, it's about. the. hands</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:08:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,952</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Villefort/pseuds/Villefort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After shattering his glass of wine during a meeting, Valerius is forced into being cared for by Valdemar. He doesn’t hate it as much as he thought he would. Neither does Valdemar.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Valdemar/Valerius (The Arcana)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Science Gossip: A String of Valerius/Valdemar Scenarios [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tender</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Valdemar couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when Valerius began reaching his breaking point; they could only see the final crack. “Incompetent.” Vlastomil had called him “incompetent.” It wasn’t that much of an insult, not compared to what Vulgora normally called Valerius, but this seemed different, intentional. Valdemar wasn’t even sure what they had started fighting about, only caring about the chaos surrounding it. Vlastomil stood back, baiting Valerius to retaliate. Was that all this was? To get the man to start a fight he would never win? Valdemar hadn’t meant to gasp when Valerius shattered the glass in his hand. It was just so… unexpected. Valerius didn’t even seem to notice it at all, instead reaching over to grab at the equally shocked Praetor’s robes. Volta screeched, scurrying behind a bewildered Vulgora. Valerius was all spit and venom; his teeth were bared, his eyes wild. Vlastomil was trying to get his attention to his bleeding hand, but Valerius paid him no mind. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was Valdemar’s hand curling around his shoulder to snap him back into place.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Normally I like to remain neutral in these instances,” Valdemar chided, spinning Valerius around to face them. “But as a doctor, I cannot let you worsen a wound such as that.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius was confused at this, his breathing erratic. Valdemar pulled at his wrist, holding up his bleeding hand. Finally, with the adrenaline subsided, Valerius gasped and doubled over, clutching at his bleeding hand. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This meeting is adjourned, seeing as our acting count has injured himself,” Valdemar continued, leading Valerius out of the room despite his shouts of disagreement. Valdemar gave Vlastomil an unreadable look before they left, scarlet eyes burning a hole into him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They had no other choice but to bring Valerius down to the dungeons; they had everything they needed to help there. The entire time Valerius complained of just about everything; the pain, the humiliation of being dragged out like that, the anger at Vlastomil for saying such things. Valdemar simply hummed along, not paying him much attention.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That was pretty stupid of you, little ram,” they finally commented as they sat Valerius down at one of their desks. They knew if they had sat him anywhere near an examination table that he would be inconsolable. “I didn’t think you to be a stupid man.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m not!” Valerius hissed, shoulders already rising. He got that frantic look to his eyes again, his face heating up a dark shade of pink. Valdemar tsked at him, pulling his hand in front of them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Open your fist. Let me see what you did to yourself.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius whimpered, hand trembling as he uncurled it. The middle of his palm had a deep gash, smaller pieces of glass wedged between his fingers. A wet, broken noise escaped his throat, almost unintentional. The wine mixed with his own blood, making the gash seem even more gruesome. Shivering, Valerius hugged himself with his other arm, sweat collecting his brow. Valdemar shook their head as they dug through their apron pocket. They kept a small tool kit on them at all times; they retrieved a smaller scalpel, scissors, and tweezers. Valerius paled, suddenly pulling his hand back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t think—”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You aren’t thinking, yes. You’re not going home like this. It won’t do any good if two of Vesuvia’s counts died so suddenly. I certainly don’t want to deal with it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s just a cut…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“A papercut can still get infected and damage the body. This is a deep wound that teeny tiny creepy crawlies would love to get into. Are you also a fan of creepy crawlies, Valerius?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, please… it just… Gods, this hurts. Don’t you have anything for the pain?” “For you? No. Don’t be a child, keep your hand open and let me see,” they grumbled, pushing back on Valerius’s fingers. He hissed and squirmed in his seat, biting down on his other pinky. Valdemar spoke softly to themself as they poked through and prodded the wounds with their scalpel. “I need to get the glass out first before you wedge it in further. This will be the most uncomfortable portion; I need you to bear through it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius let out a shaky breath, fingers digging into his cheek as he watched Valdemar retrieve their tweezers. They gave him a thin smile; it did little to comfort him. Gasping, Valerius tugged his hand away immediately as they poked their tweezers into the wounds between his fingers. Valdemar growled, tugging his hand back to them. Tears finally broke free as they pinned down his wrist. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Either hold still or I’ll have to bind your entire arm. Would you prefer that? I know you have peculiar tastes,”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Just stop it…” Valerius grunted through gritted teeth, his breathing heavy. Valdemar rolled their eyes before continuing, poking the sharp tip of their instrument into one of the fresh cuts. Valerius gasped and whimpered, his entire body trembling as they prodded through his wound. Carefully, they were able to pull out a jagged piece of glass, even going so far as to show Valerius as they did so.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“See how tiny they are? If I don’t get them, they’ll just embed themselves into your skin. Do you want that?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, obviously I don’t want that,” Valerius grumbled, trying to maintain his composure. The two sat in relative silence for a long moment; the only sounds in the room were the clicking of Valdemar’s tweezers and the small gasps and groans Valerius would emote. He tried his best to keep his hand steady, to not pull back even when the tweezer seemed to sink in too deep into his skin. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Good boy,” Valdemar praised him absentmindedly, their eyes focused on his oozing cuts. Valerius was thankful they couldn’t see the blush creeping across his face. Had this been a different circumstance, Valerius would have found them to be quite pretty as they worked. Their mouth was a thin line of concentration, their brows furrowed as they held his hand up to observe it closely. “You really did a number on yourself. Have you always been prone to such violent outbursts?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I wouldn’t say this was violent per se…” Valerius whispered, his eyes darting away quickly. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You tried throttling Vlastomil, Valerius. After breaking glass with your bare hands. Do you know what the word ‘violent’ means?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius shouted as Valdemar plucked out a rather large piece from his hand. He bit down on his lip, trying to blink away tears. Valdemar tilted their head at him, now observing him fully. He felt his face getting redder and redder, their expression too neutral to read. He shivered before trying to compose himself, to keep their steady gaze.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I won’t tolerate disrespect,” he breathed out, injured fingers twitching. “Especially from that disgusting worm of a man.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Fascinating. That would have been almost threatening if you weren’t crying of course,” Valdemar commented. They sounded sincere in their backhanded compliment, and Valerius wasn’t sure what to say. When he didn’t respond, Valdemar continued as they began poking into the largest gash in the palm of Valerius’s hand. “I have to say you surprised me. I don’t get surprised often, but you are the last person I expected to try attacking a centuries-old demon like that. It’s both stupid and admirable.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I s-suppose I wasn’t— ah!— th… thinking,” Valerius tried to speak, but the pain was almost too much. He curled up on himself, slamming his head down on the table as he forced himself to keep his arm out for them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re too emotional,” Valdemar said, unphased. “Too emotional and too young. I know Vlastomil looks old and frail, but he can skin you in seconds. You have no idea what any of them are capable of, even that little cherub Volta. You don’t have Lucio or Nadia to hide behind anymore. The Devil’s protection only goes so far.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I never hid behind them…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Look at these hands! This is the roughest shape they’ve probably been in your entire life. Not even a single writing callus,” Valdemar held his hand up higher, twisting it slightly to get a better look. Valerius felt anger settling into his stomach, indignation forming on his face. Before he could retort, they were speaking over him. “You’re not wrong for wanting to retaliate. I would never allow someone to say such things to me, particularly in front of other people. But the difference is that I can defend myself properly. I never let emotions or anxieties cloud my judgment. I simply strike and move on.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And how did you… did you accomplish that, then?” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius panted as the other simply stared at him. He flinched as they winked at him before continuing their work on digging through the wound on his hand. Oh. Right. He felt a cold tremor slide up his spine; it was so easy to forget just what he was sitting in the room with. What sort of creature was tending to his wounds. It wasn’t that they looked human; their veil was just successful enough that he didn’t think to question it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You are going through a painful metamorphosis,” they whispered it like it was a secret like it was something they shouldn’t be saying. “It’s been so long since my own, but I remember the fear. You’re going to be so afraid, horrified even. I was alone through mine. Such a lucky little duck, being surrounded by others who all went through the same change.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t… feel very lucky,” Valerius tried to keep his voice steady, but it cracked as he spoke. “None of you want to help me. You… you all want to see me fail…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh? Is that what I’m doing right now?” they sounded almost hurt as they spoke, but they were smiling. “Shall I send you away?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No!” Valerius shouted a bit too loud, too frantic. “I’m sorry… I misspoke—”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, you didn’t. In truth, I don’t care if you win or lose. What I find most interesting is seeing what you’re going to do next. And what I find most annoying is your whining. Though what can I expect from a child like you, I wonder?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not… not a child…” Valerius gritted his teeth as they dug their tweezers in particularly deep. He wanted to accuse them of worsening the wound, but he was afraid they would retaliate more.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You are compared to me. But that’s what makes you so interesting. One moment you’re ready to attack, the next you’re crying with your tail between your legs. A creature so confident and yet so insecure; so powerful and yet so weak. Does it scare you? Your potential?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I… I don’t really think… think like that,” Valerius whispered, head spinning. Valdemar noted how much paler he looked. Sucking their teeth, they quickly excused themself, busying themself with fetching a container of water. Valerius finally was able to pull his hand close to himself, cradling it up to his chest. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Forgive me, my bedside manner is a bit rusty. I suppose you don’t want to discuss personal philosophy as you’re bleeding out,” they returned with a glass bowl of water. It smelled a bit medicinal; Valerius assumed they mixed something in with it. Hesitant, he gave them back his hand. They turned it over in their own hands again. Notably, they no longer wore their gloves. Valerius felt his blush returning, suddenly insecure at the skin on skin contact. Their hands were cold and a bit dry; he noted the blue veins creeping up from their wrists. He particularly liked how thin and rigid their fingers were without the extra layer of latex over them. Valdemar hummed, seemingly content at their work with removing the glass. “This may sting a bit but nothing compared to getting glass removed from your hand. Please, relax.”  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius couldn’t stop himself from trembling as they lowered his throbbing hand into the bowl. They were right, of course: it did sting. A lot. Hissing, Valerius had to force himself to keep his hand submerged despite the prickles of pain shooting up his arm.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Good boy,” Valdemar praised again, their own hands submerged with his. In circular motions, their thumbs rubbed gently at the palm of his hand. The water gradually became a rusty pink as they worked out congealed blood from his hand. Valerius tried to relax into their touch, to will himself to hang onto those two words. Good boy. He felt a bit like a child, so eager to hear them like this, and he knew he should have been more ashamed of that. But something about Valdemar calling him that made his stomach flutter. “See? It wasn’t terrible. Even spending this time with me wasn’t all bad, yes? You seemed to have calmed down.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Y-Yes. I never said… said that I minded your company.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, I suppose you didn’t.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Silence blanketed them once again; Valerius focused his attention on those pale green hands tending to his own wounded one. He hissed and whimpered as those methodical fingers worked their way into the gash in his palm, thoroughly cleaning the wound out. Still, he couldn’t help but think they were making it worse on purpose. Valdemar didn’t look at his face, instead keeping their gaze focused on their task at hand. Valerius wondered absently if this was what the victims of the plague would see before they perished, those scarlet eyes so focused on them and only them. Shuddering, he looked away entirely, taking in the many horrifying mementos littering Valdemar’s shelves. Honestly, they could do with some better lighting and better organization. How did they find anything they needed in a place like this? </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Turning his head back around, he gasped at seeing Valdemar staring at him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you scared? I know many members of my staff were… uncomfortable working here. I suppose this is very different from the way you live.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes, I don’t have jars of… eyeballs in my China cabinet.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I think they bring a certain sparkle to the room. Flowers wilt, but if preserved properly, those specimens will last for years.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valdemar tilted their head as Valerius laughed. They weren’t sure they had ever heard him make such a noise; normally the most they would hear was a mean chuckle rise out of him if someone said something stupid at a meeting. But this wasn’t mean or biting; it was light and cheerful. Their lip twitched as they looked him up and down.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You are very strange,” they commented, which in turn made Valerius laugh harder. They held onto his hand as he doubled over, his body no longer trembling from fear or pain. Their face felt like it was getting hotter; were they blushing? </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sighing, Valerius finally regarded them again, a smile still smeared across his face. His hair had started to become undone, wisps of brown and blonde peeking from his intricate braid. Part of Valdemar wanted to fix it for him, but instead, they removed his hand from the water and carefully began drying it off.    </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I have to wrap this now. Pay careful attention to how I do it; you’ll need to change your bandages frequently if you don’t want any infection.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Did you mean it? That I had… potential, was it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m not like you; I don’t lie. It’s a waste of breath.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius said nothing to this, instead keeping an eye on Valdemar’s hands they worked at wrapping his wound. They were working too fast for Valerius to digest what they were doing. Or rather, he was thinking of too many other things to really take in the steps they were showing him. He cursed the thick gauze for cutting off any more contact between them, the coldness of their hands snuffed out. Part of him wanted to be bratty, like a child, and undo the work they had done so they could do it all over again. But of course, they wouldn’t; they would throw him out with a huff if he tried something like that. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ta-da! Like a present!” Valdemar said, holding Valerius’s hand up for him. He twisted it left and right, noting how nice and tight the bandages were. Already, blood was seeping through, staining the grey there. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“T-Thank you,” Valerius whispered as he flexed his fingers. “I am sorry for causing a scene like that. You are right… I do have a habit of acting a bit… rash. I won’t bother you like this again, Quaestor.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Valerius felt his entire face heat up as the other cupped their hand around his face. It was still damp and cold from the water. He immediately leaned into it, ashamed at how eager he was for the new contact. Had it really been that long…? </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Please, by all means, harm yourself like this more often. This was a fun diversion for me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They smiled that toothy grin at him. With a tap to his face, they removed their hand and rose to stand. Valerius followed behind them, his legs a bit stiff and wobbly as he tried to keep up with their pace.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ah, Quaestor!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Coyly, Valerius held up his bandaged hand. Notably, part of the bandage dangled from his wrist. Valdemar titled their head at him, bemused.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It seems to have come undone… May I impose on you again? Just a bit longer?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Again, Valdemar’s hands were on him, holding up his hand so that they could get a better look at it. Valerius was looking away, an obvious blush to his cheeks. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You are so strange,” Valdemar sighed before turning him back around, guiding him to this seat once again. They could almost feel the excitement jumping from his skin.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>New project time! I already posted this part on Tumblr, but between work I'm going to working on a longer series with these two through some non-linear one-shots. The name is taken from an old science magazine that I felt was pretty fitting for them ;w;</p></blockquote></div></div>
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